HHS: Revisit the Evidence and Remove the Restrictions on Emergency Contraception

To be delivered to
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Petition Statement

Women’s health, including the ability to determine the timing and spacing of pregnancies, should not be subject to politics. After more than a decade of medical research, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined emergency contraception (EC) is effective and safe enough for access without restriction. Doctors recognize EC as an important component of reproductive health care, allowing women a second chance to prevent pregnancy when a primary contraceptive method fails. In December 2011, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the FDA and restricted access to EC. We urge Secretary Sebelius to revisit the evidence and remove the restrictions, placing women’s reproductive health above politics.

There are currently 6,534 signatures.
NEW goal -
We need 7,500 signatures!

Petition Background

In December of 2011, the FDA was prepared to make emergency contraception accessible to consumers without restriction, based on more than a decade of medical research and policy debates. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the FDA, putting politics ahead of women’s health. Her decision created unnecessary confusion for women and couples at a moment when clarity and timing matter most. EC works best when taken within 72 hours and her ruling means many Americans are facing unnecessary obstacles. Women without identification, like some immigrants or women who don’t drive, cannot obtain the product. Men have been denied access as some pharmacists impose their personal beliefs on consumers. Doctors have been given misleading or false information when calling pharmacies on behalf of teen patients.

Most importantly, no evidence suggests that making emergency contraception accessible leads to risky behavior among teens. What it does do is give teens a second chance to prevent and unintended pregnancy so they can stay in school. Medical experts, from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to the New England Journal of Medicine, a former U.S. Surgeon General, and many others agree EC should be on-the-shelf and accessible without restriction.

Emergency contraception is a safe, effective back-up method of birth control that can prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure. A woman is healthiest when she can decide the timing and spacing of her pregnancies. Let’s ensure that any woman who needs EC can get it safely and quickly.

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